Snow-scraper



, G. J. KOPMEIER.

SNOW SGRAPBR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GERHARD J. KOPMEIER, oF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SNOW-SCRAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,775, dated April 2, 1889.

Application filed January 9, 1889- Serial No. 295,852. (No model.)

, after described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a device constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, an under side view of the scraper-board, with certain of its parts broken away for the purpose of better illustration; and Fig. 4, a detail view illustrating the means for supporting the draft-frame of said device.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents the scraping-board of my device, said scraping-board being provided with a metallic shoe, B, side pieces, 0, and back piece, D. Pivotally connected to the side pieces, 0, of the scraping-board are runners 'E, united by a cross-brace, F, the latterbeing provided with depending loops G, that serve as supports for the side bars, H, of a draft-frame.

The rear ends of the draft-frame side bars are shackled to the scraping-board A about midway of its width, the forward ends of these side bars and a cross-brace, I, of said frame serving to support a central draft-bar, J, provided with a clip, K, and pin L for the attachment of a single or double tree, M, whereby my device may be employed in connection with one or two horses, according to the requirements of the work and convenience of the operator.

Secured to the draft-bar J is a verticallyslotted standard, N, for engagement with a pin, 0, in the forked end of a lever, P. This forked end of the lever straddles said standard, and said lever is provided with a stop, Q, arranged to come under the cross-b race F, as best illustrated in Fig. 2.

In order to keep snow and slush away from the slotted standard N and forked end of the lever P, I secure a hood, R, upon the draftbar, J, as best illustrated by Fig. 2.

The lever P has its fulcrum on the crossbrace F and extends rearward beyond the back piece, D, of the scrapin -board A, said lever being passed through a loop, S, that is pivotally connected to said back piece and carries an anti-friction roller, T. The rear portion of the lever is provided with a series of notches, U, for engagement with the loop S, whereby said lever is held down against the back piece, D, of the scraping-board A and the latter locked in the position to which it may have been adjusted.

Hinged to the under side of the scraping board A, near its forward end, are runners V, having curved upwardly-extended free ends that pass through slots 1) in plates W, pivoted to said under side of the scrapingboard and united by a strap, X, the latter being actuated by means of a pivoted lever, Y. Springs Z are secured to the under side of the scraping-board to exert their force against the same and rest on the runners V, and the edges of the curved upwardly-extended ends of these runners are provided with notches 0, arranged at intervals to engage with the plates W, accordingly as said scraping-board may be adjusted to different angles. When the scraping-board is in its best working position, the plates W are engaged by the upper notches in the upwardly-extended ends of the runners V and the loop S is in the forward notch in the lever P, the notches in said runners and lover being relatively arranged. By actuating the lever Y the plates W on the scraping-board are disengaged from the up per notches in the upwardly-extended ends of the runners V, and said scraping-board adjusted on its pivots to change its angle more or less in accordance with which set of the notches in said runners said plates W may be again engaged. The lowering of the rear portion of the scraping-board eases the draft on the team, and when the strap X is adjusted so as to set the plates W in such position as not to engage any of the notches in the upwardly-extended ends of the runners V, said scraping-board will be automatically adjusted on its pivots by the weight of the load acting against the resistance of the springs Z, there by making a very light draft on the team when the scraper is loaded and on the way to the dump.

To dump the load, the loop S is disengaged from the lever, and thus the scraping-board A is unlocked and free to tilt forward, this operation being aided by means of a handle, A, arranged to project rearward from said scraping-board, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

By the construction above described I do away with the necessity of any pole or thills in connection with a snow-scraper, as ordinarily constructed, and thus if the horse or team gets into the water it is only necessary to draw the pin L in order that said horse or team may be free to swim ashore.

Another advantage of my device lies in the fact that the pivot-point of the lever does not have to be changed when the scraping-board is adjusted for various depths of snow, while at the same time said scraping-board may have a yielding resistance to its load when the device is on the way to the dump, thereby making the work on the horse or team less hard than is usually the case with this class of devices.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a snow scraper, the combination of a pivoted scraping-board, a tongueless draftframe shackled thereto, and a do'ubletree or analogous device detachably connected to said draft-frame, substantially as set forth.

2. In a snow-scraper, the combination of a pivoted spring-supported scraping-board, a draft-frame shackled thereto, and a doubletree or analogous device detachably connected to the (lraftiraine, substantially as set forth.

have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in

In asnow-scraper, the combination of the main runners, a cross-brace uniting the same and provided with depending loops, at scraping-board pivoted to the runners, a draftframe shackled to the scraping-board and, supported by said loops, a standard on the draft-frame, a i*earwardly-extcnded lever fulj crunied on said cross-brace and loosely con nected to the standard, and a latch pivoted to said scraping-board to engage the lever, substantially as set forth.

I. In a snow-scraper, the combination of a pivoted scraping-board, runners hinged to the under side of the same and having upwardlyeXtended free ends provided with notches, slotted plates pivoted to said SCl'itPll'lg-bOZtl'fl to engage said free ends of the runners, a strap connecting the pivoted plates, and a le ver it'or actuating the strap, substantially as set forth.

5. In a snow-scraper, the combination of a pivoted scraping-board, runn ers hinged to the under side of: the same and having upwardlyextended free ends provided with notches, pivotally-adjustablc slotted plates secured to the scraping-board to engage said free ends of the hinged runners, and springs secured to said scraping-board to exert their force against the same and rest upon said runners, substantially as set forth.

6. A snow-scraper comprising a pair of main runners, a cross-ljn'ace uniting the same and provided with depending loops, a scraping-board pivoted to the main runners and provided with hinged runners having upwardly-extended and notched free ends, pivotally-adjustable slotted plates secured to the scraping-board to engage said free ends of the hinged runners, a draft-frame shackled to said scraping-board and supported by said loops on the cross-brace, astandard on the draft-frame, a rearwardly-extended lever fulcrumed on said cross-brace and loosely connected to the standard, and a latch pivoted to the scraping-board to engage the lever,

substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing l the county of Milwaukee and State of \Viscousin, in the presence of two witnesses.

GERIIARD J. KOPll'llfllER. Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPH'ANI, \VILLIAM KLUG 

